Liv started climbing out of her crib at 18 months-about 3 weeks ago. Very efficiently, even with the mattress dropped to the floor. Instead of going to a toddler bed, we put a queen sized mattress on her floor and let her start sleeping there. She sleeps well, but the problem is when she wakes up. She FREAKS OUT that shes alone in bed and cries forever, until she falls asleep (usually in her rocking chair, which we now need to remove from her room) or has us come in to lay with her until she falls back to sleep. That process usually takes an hour or more.

I think the issue is that we started laying down with her untll shes asleep, then we sneak out of her room. So now I have to sleep train a toddler, but I dont know where to start. Shes too young to really grasp the concept of "big girl bed" enough to get excited over picking out sheets. She loves her stuffed animals, but is too young to associate that she only gets a certain one in the bed. I just dont know how to do this and Im losing my mind spending an hour or more every time she wakes up trying to get her back to sleep and sneak out again. Any suggestions?